I have many things I'd like to write and post here. However, I'm physically limited these days in how many words I can write. I have a novel to finish, a long official report to compile, and deadlines on both. I also have to show up on my own current-project blog because it's only three months until Book Day for COLD WELCOME, and make at least token dashes into Twitter and Facebook. Which means...I'm not here, saying all those trenchant, important things about What's Going On or (perhaps more usefully) Writing in the Present Moment. And I apologize. Twenty years ago--even ten years ago--I could have done it all. Now I can't. Reality bites. BUT I have a whole satchel full of ideas for when I've met both deadlines and slept a week to recover therefrom. Meanwhile, here's a picture of a deer in the backyard eating acorns and then deciding it was time to leave, on December 27, 2016:

I appreciate any words that you are writing. They all have a positive impact.

Your characters, and the way they approach things in their universes, provide great role models, and they help to normalize (in a good way) the idea of a competent woman who doesn't melt down at the first sign of trouble.

The Deed of Paksenarrion was the first regular book I read after graduating college. The last SF/Fantasy books I'd read were about men doing cool stuff. It was so wonderful to see a believable woman character doing amazing things. I went on to binge-read most of your stuff. It was a wonderful discovery.

All of your writings are affecting the world in a positive way. I'm looking forward to the new book.

I *hate* getting old! :-) Not having the energy anymore & walking into a room and thinking "Now why the hell did I come in here??"

One of the best comedy routines I've seen on getting old is Billy Connolly's on the noises we make as we get up or sit down. :-) I did a quick search just now to see if I could find it on YouTube but no luck. Perhaps you've seen it?

Anyway... don't apologise or feel guilty over it; you don't owe us, we owe you! You've given us many, many hours of great entertainment & if you want to sit back now, smoke a pipe (metaphorically) of Longbottom Leaf or Old Toby and sip a glass of good wine then DO it. :-)

We do what we can. I appreciate your books and your blog posts and enjoy everything you have time to do. We all have to juggle priorities; it's coming on tax season again and meanwhile my spouse had some relatively major surgery on the date of this post so I'm spending my days at Johns Hopkins for the next little while, which gets no accounting done.